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Goodwin Liu to Deliver 2012 Commencement Address

USC Gould School of Law • January 9, 2012
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Associate Justice for CA Supreme Court will speak at May 11 ceremony

-By Maria Iacobo

The 2012 commencement ceremony for the University of Southern California Gould School of Law will feature an address by the Honorable Goodwin Hon Liu, associate justice for the California Supreme Court. Justice Liu was appointed to the court in September 2011 by Gov. Jerry Brown. 

The Hon. Goodwin Liu
 The Hon. Goodwin Liu

"It is an honor to have Justice Liu serve as our Commencement speaker,” said Robert K. Rasmussen, dean of USC Law. “Justice Liu's scholarship prior to taking the bench demonstrated a deep commitment to constitutional law, equality and the importance of education. His tenure on the most important state supreme court in the country promises to be one that will be of great benefit to the citizens of our state."

In submitting his recommendation for Liu to the Supreme Court, Gov. Brown said Liu “is a nationally recognized expert on constitutional law and has experience in private practice, government service and the academic community. I know that he will be an outstanding addition to our state supreme court."

The state bar commission that screens all nominees gave Liu a "unanimously well qualified" rating, describing him as "brilliant, impartial and with a work ethic second to none.”

Liu is a former UC Berkeley School of Law professor and associate dean, and he is a recipient of the UC Berkeley Distinguished Teaching Award.

The son of Taiwanese immigrants, Liu grew up in Sacramento. After graduating from Stanford University with honors, Liu attended Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship and earned a M. Phil in philosophy and physiology. He graduated from Yale Law School in 1998 and joined the California bar in 1999.

USC Law’s commencement ceremony will be held on Friday, May 11, at 3:30 p.m. in McCarthy Quad on the USC campus. A reception for graduates and their guests will follow.

-Photo courtesy of the California Supreme Court

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